Russell Westbrook is a Los Angeles Laker. Let that one sink in. Ok, are you ready? The deal was Russell Westbrook and 2 future 2nd round picks for Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and the 22nd pick (Washington flipped the 22nd pick to the Pacers for Aaron Holiday and the 31st pick, which turned into Isaiah Todd). That is a big one and one that people do not love for the Lakers, ESPN’s Kevin Pelton gave it a D for them. They had a deal for Buddy Hield as well. Why did the Lakers do it, why did the Wizards do it, and where do both teams go from here?
The Lakers need shooting, which was their glaring weakness this season. I would prefer Buddy Hield, keeping Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, keeping the 22nd pick, and re-signing Dennis Schroder, but that is just me. Westbrook is an athletic freak who has been nicknamed Mr. Triple-Double as he has the most triple-doubles of all time. He is a third star to create a big 3 with Anthony Davis and LeBron James. However, the floor spacing will be terrible, they are way too top heavy, especially with the injury history of Anthony Davis and the more recent injury history of LeBron James. It is a bold one, the rest of their team should be built on re-signing Alex Caruso, Talen Horton Tucker, keeping Marc Gasol, their $5.8 million mid level exception, and minimum guys. They will have pressure to hit on those minimum players so they can build out their depth, overall I am not a huge fan of this trade for the Lakers. There are some positives to it. For example, Westbrook can be another ball handler that takes pressure off of LeBron. They also will be lethal in transition so there can be some cool dunks. Whether it works or not, the Lakers are going to be a must watch team in 2021-22.
Bradley Beal is a free agent after this season. Does this deal help convince him to resign, no probably not, but it is the right move for Washington, just like trading for Westbrook last year was worth it as getting off of John Wall was vital. Now they get 2 intriguing young prospects in Kyle Kuzma and Aaron Holiday (via the Pacers), they add a very good defensive wing (and close friend of Beal) in KCP, and they get a backup center, who they can flip for more assets if they so please. They are deeper, they can now go out and add more defensive help and get another guard, maybe move Davis Bertans to do that. I am still a big Kyle Kuzma believer. He can flat out score, and showed he has a really good motor throughout the regular season. They have young talent with Rui Hachimura, Deni Advija, and new rookie Corey Kispert. Keeping Beal is a whole different task but he might just sign a super-max next summer because his heart is in D.C. Washington continues to build a good foundation with their young players and Beal. They can flip some contracts like Harrell or Bertans to go along with the non-taxpayer mid level exception (which is about $9.5 million), and a TPE (traded player exception) that is about $8.5 million they acquired via the Westbrook deal. They will need to acquire some kind of point guard, whether that is via trade or free agency, Ricky Rubio or Derrick Rose could be names to watch in that department with Aaron Holiday, who had a rough 2021 season, as a backup point guard. They are really strong at center, should they keep Harrell, with Montrezl, Daniel Gafford, and Thomas Bryant, who is returning from a knee injury he suffered early last season, in that spot. On the wing, they have Kuzma, Hachimura, Advija, Chandler Hutchison, and Kisapert are all very talented and should contribute. They have a new coach in Wes Unsled Jr, a superstar in Bradley Beal (who reportedly wants to remain in D.C.), the Wizards have a lot going for them, and even if Beal demands a trade, Washington is still in a good spot.
The Lakers and Wizards agreed to a blockbuster trade right before the draft, and it was a doozy. With LA creating a new big 3 that makes the Lakers more must watch TV than they already were. It should be fun, maybe it implodes, maybe it goes well, but either way it is going to be fun. For the Wizards it is a reset, a way to improve the depth of a roster that needed to improve their depth, a way to create cap flexibility, two things they did. What a wild way to kick off a wild night in the National Basketball Association.
Comments